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Authors: Steve McHugh

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BOOK: With Silent Screams
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“Thank you for your time,” I said to Theris and Rean, the latter of which stormed off as we left the colony.

“You’re a lucky idiot,” I told Bill after we’d reached the stream a few minutes later. “A few more minutes of shouting and I’d have been trying to stop him tearing you in half.”

“That fucking asshole knows where these people are; they’re just not going to tell us because they’re scared.”

I took a seat on a sizeable rock. “They’ve been in this forest for decades, probably longer. If they got involved, there was always a chance that any peace and quiet they’ve managed to make from themselves would be shattered. People could die. And to a wood troll, their own people are more important than the lives of other species.”

“All they had to do was take us to where they tracked the killers, and we’d have done the rest.”

“But to them, that was too much. You can’t push trolls; when they push back, it tends to be very final.”

“So, we’re back to square one?”

“Not exactly. We know that the trolls tracked the killers when they drove off, and that no wood troll I’ve ever heard of would have left the confines of the forest to track.”

“Okay, so instead of no idea, we have a couple hundred square miles to search through. That’s not a whole lot better.”

“You have better than that,” Rean said as he stepped out into the clearing. “I’m going to show you where they are.”

I had to admit that took me by surprise, but Bill got there first. “What the hell are you playing at?”

“I’m sorry for my deception, but most of the elders do not wish for us to become involved.” Rean bowed his head slightly and stared at his feet; such a gesture was to show either fear or respect. I knew for a fact that Rean wasn’t scared of Bill or me. It was an apology for his actions. He soon straightened back to his full height. “However my mate and I both agree that our involvement is a necessity if we’re to remain protected in this forest.”

“But you had your son—” I started.

“I know, but I cannot have my son involved any more than he already is. He’s young and impulsive. As we all are at his age. I won’t risk his standing with the elders by going against their wishes. I’m an elder already, the worst they can do to me is make disapproving noises.”


More than he already is?
It was your son who tracked them, wasn’t it?”

Rean nodded. “He was out with a small hunting party, they saw the body, and Thean decided to go after the killers. He came back once he established the threat against the colony was minimal. He wanted to go back and force them to leave, but I would not allow it.”

“How far away are these people?”

“A few miles. I will not help you kill them, but I will not stand by while they do as they wish, either.”

“Just point us in the right direction,” I said. “We’ll do t
he rest.”

CHAPTER
9

T
he hike through the woods was long and, on more than once occasion, dangerous. Loose dirt and a lack of handholds, made climbing some of the steeper hills a treacherous proposition. I had my magic to fall back on, but Bill had nothing more than his natural skill and a bit of good luck.

Rean on the other hand, barely stopped to take a breath. He walked in a straight line, never deviating from the path, no matter how much hard work it was. He glided up hills without the use of a handhold or slipping on the surface. It was impressive to behold, as if his own weight shifted itself to ensure he remained in balance at all times

By the time Rean stopped walking and motioned for us to crouch low, the sun was setting behind us.

We were laying prone on top of a cliff, fifty feet above the house that Rean had led us to. It gave us an excellent vantage point, and the dense bushes all around afforded us some extra protection from any wandering eyes below.

“Are you sure Sally-Ann’s killers are in there?” I asked Rean.

The wood troll nodded. “This is where they were tracked to.”

“How do we get in?” Bill asked. “There are only two of us, and we have no idea how many of them there are, or what
weapons
they have.”

Bill had a good point. The house was a large two-story wooden building that had probably been constructed during the late-seventeenth or early-eighteenth century. It had been re-painted a deep brown at some point, but small patches of white showed through the side facing the cliff.

There were no windows facing us, but even without them any approach would be difficult. The driveway, clearly a new addition to the property, was made of deep red brick, with large irregular sized rocks sat on the verge on either side. It curved with the land, vanishing behind some trees after a few dozen feet. The rear of the property was mostly woodland, but the trees were sparse and there was a fifty-foot gap from their edge to any side of the house.

“Rean, can you take Bill back to the car?”

Bill opened his mouth to argue, but I got there first. “We’ll need backup; you have to arrest whoever is alive in there after I’ve gotten Simon out. Unless you plan on either marching them all into town or making them all sit in the back of your car, you’re going to need more people. Besides, I need you to get hold of Galahad and get him here; I assume your captain knows a way.”

“And what are you going to do?”

“I’m going to stay right here and watch,” I said. “And when it’s dark enough I’m going to try and find out exactly what we’re dealing with.”

“The cliff slopes down to the ground a short distance that way,” Rean said. “You’re still going to have a sizeable gap between there and the house though, so you’ll need to be careful.”

I thanked Rean and he began moving back from the cliff edge. “Bill, give me twelve hours, then turn up with the cavalry. I should have Simon dealt with, and hopefully anyone else in there will go quietly.”

Bill shook my hand and then followed Rean back into th
e forest.

Once alone, I returned my attention to the house and wondered if it were possible to get around to see the front and back of the building without giving myself away.

The rear of the building was simple enough, I just followed Rean’s directions and made my way down the slope to my right, ensuring to keeping far enough back that any sudden movements didn’t give me away.

The back of the house contained seven windows—three on the lower floor and four above it. There were no lights on in the house itself, but a large shed sat nearby and light spilled out from the small windows.

I moved back up the slope and along to the left of where I’d started, but was unable to get all the way around to the front of the house as the cliff stopped short. The only way to move any farther was to use the huge trees. I glanced around to ensure there was no one about and took a few steps back. I started to run toward the cliff edge, but just then the house’s front door opened. I managed to stop myself before I hit the point of no return and dropped to the ground, getting a mouthful of dirt and snow for my trouble.

A man, wearing an expensive long coat, stood on the front porch in the light of the open front door and looked around the forest in front of him. His collar was pulled up, obscuring his face, but a second man joined him, wearing only a dark t-shirt and jeans.

Even with air magic, there was no way I was going to be able to hear anything the men said to one another, but the
conversation
was short and the better dressed of the two men was clearly the one in charge. After a few minutes, the well-dressed man walked around to the side of the house, and a short time later there was the roar of an engine starting.

The second man hadn’t moved from his spot in front of the house. He turned and watched as the car sped off down the drive, but didn’t immediately go back inside. Instead, he glanced around the forest and removed a cigarette from his pocket, which was quickly lit.

He stayed where he was for a few minutes, the only movement was the removal of the cigarette from his lips and the exhale of the toxic smog. He turned toward me and stared at the exact spot where I was hiding. I wasn’t concerned he’d spotted me; he couldn’t have seen me if he were only a few feet away, much less the few hundred that separated us.

All of a sudden a scream sounded out over the quiet night and the man dropped his cigarette onto the ground, using his foot to extinguish it.

A second man walked out of the woods. He was a huge brute of a man; at least a foot taller than me and probably several stone heavier. He was dragging a young woman, her blonde hair wrapped up in his fist to ensure that escape was impossible. She flailed in his iron grasp, twisting and turning as her feet scraped along the ground behind her. I couldn’t hear her words, but I could see her pained expression. Anguish and fear were obvious beneath the grime. She kicked snow up constantly from the ground, covering everything it touched. The man dragging her stopped and kicked her in the stomach one, twice, and a third time. I winced with the last strike as the fight left the young woman and she sagged, defeated. Dragging her was easier now, and he continued to perform his task with a smile.

A second man came into view, equal in size to the first, with a prone male thrown over his shoulder like a bag of flour. As they reached the light from the still-open front door, I saw the blood that had covered one side of the male victims face. It had matted his long hair and dripped steadily onto the ground where it was swallowed up by the snow.

The first brute dropped the woman onto the house’s porch, and she immediately tried to bolt, but she was grabbed once more and thrown through the front door. The second brute followed with the unconscious man, while the smaller man glanced around quickly as the woman’s screams started, then joined the others in the house, closing the door behind.

The screams died with the closing of the door—the house was probably soundproofed, although I doubted there was anyone within a few miles who would have heard anything even if it wasn’t.

I couldn’t just leave the newcomers to the company of these brutal men, and I hesitated to think about whatever horrific end would befall them if I didn’t act. But rushing in would likely end in disaster, either for me or the new victims.

I moved back a few paces and once again sprinted to the cliff edge, launching myself toward the nearest large tree and using my air magic to land on one of its thickest branches. I swung myself down onto another branch and then dropped onto the soft ground ten feet below, my air magic ensuring I’d be silent.

I used the cover of foliage to make my way around to the front of the house, where I could see the front door for the fir
st tim
e. It was a well-made wooden door that had been painted a deep red color. Several marks, which appeared to be from a claw of some kind, sat in the middle of the door. The window next to the door was broken, the bars on the inside clearly visible. I’d have wagered that the house was a well-
fortified
structure, probably not easy to break into without some serious help.

I wondered if Simon had sorcerer-proofed it—he must have been aware that someone would come for him. So, if he’d
sorcerer
-proofed the door with some runes, it probably wasn’t worth trying. Just in case.

I’d decided that the window closest to me was probably my best place to gain entry. I’d all but made my mind up when Bill walked toward the house, with Rean behind him, occasionally pushing him forward. They reached the front door and Bill knocked twice, which was answered by the man in jeans I’d seen on the porch earlier. He spoke, but I couldn’t have heard him even if I’d been standing right next to them, my anger took over. Rean had betrayed us.

“You’re out there,” the man said. “Nathan, I know you’re o
ut there.”

Rean pointed in my direction. Apparently a wood troll’s vision was even better than I’d heard about.

“Come out, come out,” he said and punched Bill in the face hard enough to knock the big man to his knees. “Or do I need to start on your friend here?”

He punched Bill once again, and blood exploded from his nose and mouth as he fell to the porch’s wooden floor. A second later there was a knife in the attacker’s hands and it was held to Bill’s throat.

I held my hands up and walked out of the forest. Magic was no use, it would have gotten Bill killed.

“Kneel,” the man said and pointed to the ground. “Fingers linked and placed behind your head.”

I did as I was told. The ground was cold and the snow crunched under my knees.

“My name is Simon Olson,” he said. “My friend Rean here tells me you’re interested in finding me. Well, congratulations.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Why what?” Simon replied, a quizzical look on his face.

“Not you.” I nodded toward Rean. “Why?”

“After my son tracked them, they came to our colony and I met with them. They said they’d kill everyone in my colony if I didn’t stay away from them. So I made a deal with them. They stay away from my colony in exchange for me giving them you. Simon said someone might come around trying to find him.”

“The one over the many, eh?”

Rean glanced down at the ground for the briefest of moments before raising to his full height and keeping eye contact with me as he spoke, “No, just the one who isn’t my colony against those who are.”

Simon walked toward me, a smile spread across his bearded face. His long dark hair was tied back, and his cold black eyes held nothing but hate and anger.

I’d expected gloating, but the punch came out of nowhere, knocking me to the ground. Before I could move, the two brutes from earlier were next to me, moving much faster than their size suggested. They held me down while Simon stood above me, showing me the silver gauntlet that covered his hand like a glove. A second later it vanished, turning into several silver bracelets on his wrist.

“Do you see this?” he asked, showing me the bracelets. “Do you know how long it took for me to perfect the use of using a small amount of silver to cover my entire hand? Many years. I’m a patient man, as you’re going to find out over the course of your stay here. I’ll show you just how much I’ve learned.”

Before I could do anything to show him the error of his ways, he spoke again, “If you use your magic at any point in the next few minutes, your friend the cop dies.” He got right next to my ear, the smell of blood overpowering whatever aftershave he’d used. “And then I go find that freak’s family and make him watch while I butcher them.” He jumped back up and walked over to Bill, kicking him in the ribs.

“Oh, where are my manners?” Simon said as he kicked Bill once more. He spun around and with a flourish of his hands motioned toward the house. “Welcome to my home. Welcome to the House of Silent Screams.”

BOOK: With Silent Screams
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